Fences are essential in so many ways; they add privacy, security and even add curb appeal to your home. Chance are that at some point of your home ownership you will probably need to replace one, or all sides of your fence.
However, if you’re living in a typical neighborhood you probably share a fence with your neighbors on all sides of your house or backyard. This means when it comes time to replace your fence it will have to be a group decision.
Why Would You Need to Replace a Fence?
There are several reasons you might need to speak to your neighbors about replacing a shared fence.
- The fence has become damaged by weather
- Your fence is old, worn or falling over
- The fence doesn’t provide enough privacy
- You’re trying to update the look of your home
- You’re getting ready to sell your home and want to increase its value
There are countless reasons why the time might be right to replace your backyard fence. Now that you’ve decided you want to replace all, or a section of your fence, it’s time to talk to your neighbors who also consider the fence part of their home.
How Many Neighbors Will You Have to Contact?
Are you planning on replacing a small section or single side of your fence? Or are you looking to replace all three sides of your backyard fencing? You’ll need to determine this before you approach your neighbors.
If you’re looking to update your home, you will want to update all sides of your fence, and that means you will need to discuss the decision will all the affected neighbors. However, if you’re just looking to replace one side because it’s damaged or weather-worn, you will only need to contact the neighbor who shares the fence with you. This might change however if you go to replace the small section of fencing and cannot find materials that match the current fence. In that case you might have to replace all of the fencing and therefore you will need to contact all of the appropriate neighbors.
How to Approach the Neighbors
When it comes to approaching your neighbor about your fencing updates you will want to reflect on your past relationship with them before you start the discussion. As with anything, the friendlier and closer you’ve been in the past, the easier the discussion will be. However, if you’re not close or familiar with the affected neighbor you will need to take a different approach.
Try knocking or leaving a note on your neighbors door requesting a time to discuss the fencing situation. You will need to determine if you’re willing to pay for the whole repair, or if you’re looking to split the cost. Obviously if it’s for a curb appeal reason on your end, you should expect to foot the whole bill, while if the fence is aged or damaged your neighbor might agree to split the cost.
This doesn’t have to be a difficult discussion! Just make sure you come to the conversation prepared with what you want to do with the fencing and what effort and money you’re prepared to put into it.
Once you and your neighbors have decided what direction you want to go to with your fence be sure to contact us at Sierra Fence. Our high quality fencing will be an easy decision for everyone to agree to!
